COVE
Central Ohio Vision and Eyecare · New Albany
Specialty Contact Lenses
Interactive explainer

A lens that never touches the cornea — it floats above it.

When a cornea is irregular, glasses and ordinary contacts run out of road. A scleral lens takes a different approach entirely: it vaults over the cornea on a cushion of fluid and gives light a brand-new, perfectly smooth surface. Press play to see how.

Animated cross-section of an eye showing how a scleral lens vaults an irregular cornea on a fluid reservoir A side view of an eye with an irregular, cone-shaped cornea that scatters light so no sharp focus forms. Glasses correct focus but cannot smooth the surface. A large scleral lens rests on the white of the eye, vaults over the cornea entirely, and holds a reservoir of fluid against it — creating a smooth new front surface that focuses light cleanly on the retina.

When ordinary lenses have run out of road.

Scleral fitting is COVE's specialty. Our doctors design each lens from a full map of your eye's surface — most patients who were told nothing else would work see clearly again.

Schedule a scleral consultation

Scleral lenses are custom-designed medical contact lenses, most often used for keratoconus and other irregular corneas, after eye surgery, and for severe dry eye. At COVE, our doctors custom-design each scleral lens from a full topographic map of your eye. This animation is educational and doesn't replace an exam — learn more about scleral lenses at COVE or call (614) 933-0575.